Chaptalization

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Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to unfermented wine must in order to increase the alcohol content after fermentation.

Chaptalization is fairly strictly controlled in many countries, and generally only permitted in more northerly areas where grapes might not ripen enough. Ethanol is one of the key preservatives in wine, so chaptalization is essential for musts very low in sugar, unless the finished wine will be bottled in sterile conditions. However, it can also be used to increase the body of the wine (higher alcohol concentration increases viscosity) or also to lengthen fermentation for the purpose of extracting more flavor compounds. Its opposite process is acidification, where acid is added to must with sufficient sugar but lacking in acid. Typically, if chaptalization is permitted, acidification is prohibited, and vice versa.

Chaptalization was developed by the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal. In Germany it was Ludwig Gall who introduced the technique.